Today's Video

Menthol Cigrettes are getting more Popular among Young People

A new study on mentholated cigarette use in the U.S.
finds an increase in menthol cigarette smoking among young adults and
concludes that efforts to reduce smoking likely are being thwarted by
the sale and marketing of mentholated cigarettes, including emerging
varieties of established youth brands.

“Our findings indicate that youth are heavy consumers of mentholated
cigarettes, and that overall menthol cigarette smoking has either
remained constant or increased in all three age groups we studied, while
non-menthol smoking has decreased,” says lead researcher Gary Giovino,
PhD, professor and chair of the University at Buffalo Department of
Community Health and Health Behaviors.
A photo of Giovino is available here.

Giovino, one of the world’s leading tobacco surveillance researchers,
estimated menthol and non-menthol cigarette use during 2004-10 using
annual data on nearly 390,000 persons 12 years old and older who took
part in the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. The data included
more than 84,000 smokers.
The results, which were published online in the international journal, Tobacco Control showed that:

Among cigarette smokers, menthol cigarette use was more common among
12-17 year olds (56.7 percent) and 18-25 year olds (45 percent) than
among older persons (range 30.5 percent to 32.9 percent).

Menthol use was associated with being younger, female, and of non-white race or ethnicity.

Among all adolescents, the percent who smoked non-menthol cigarettes
decreased from 2004-10, while menthol smoking rates remained c

Among all young adults, the percent who smoked non-menthol cigarettes also declined, while menthol smoking rates increased.

The use of Camel menthol and Marlboro menthol increased among
adolescent and young adult smokers, particularly non-Hispanic whites,
during the study period.

“The study results should inform the FDA regarding the potential public health impact of a menthol ban,” Giovino says.

“The FDA is considering banning menthol cigarettes, or other
regulatory options,” he says. “This research provides an important view
of the trends and patterns of menthol use in the nation as a whole. The
FDA will consider these findings and findings from multiple other
studies as it goes forward.”

Giovino is particularly alarmed that the findings show youth are
heavy consumers of mentholated cigarettes and the use of menthols is
specifically associated with being younger, female and of non-white
ethnicity.
“This finding indicates that mentholated cigarettes are a ‘starter
product’ for kids in part because menthol makes it easier to inhale for
beginners,” says Giovino. “Simply stated, menthol sweetens the poison,
making it easier to smoke. Young people often think menthol cigarettes
are safer, in part because they feel less harsh.
“When I was growing up, one of my older friends said he didn’t think
that menthol cigarette smoking was that dangerous because he was told
that they were good for you if you got a cold,” says Giovino. “It turns
out that Kool was advertising that way for a long time but was stopped
from doing so by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) around 1955.